New power line to be built from Ethiopia to Kenya

Work on the proposed Sh72 billion
high-voltage power transmission line from Ethiopia
to Kenya is set to commence next month.

Kenya Electricity Generating company
has disclosed that the implementation schedule for
the project has already been set up, with its commissioning
now earmarked for October 2014.

Some
of the proposed financiers of the project are African
Development Bank, Arab Bank, European Investment
Bank, East African Development Bank and the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).

KenGen, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation
(EEPCO), Kenya Power and Lighting and the Ministry
of Energy officials met in Addis Ababa on September
19 to 21 for a follow-up meeting on an earlier Memorandum
of Understanding.

Speaking during the MOU signing ceremony
in Nairobi mid this year, acting Energy Minister
Mr Henry Obwocha said that the interconnection of
national grids of the two countries would result
in reduction of power prices.

KenGen
said in its current news bulletin that the project
would commence next month. Staff from the two utilities
would undergo an exchange programme in hydropower
development, operations, and geothermal and environmental
management.